Section 36-71-9. Refunds

   Any municipality or county which adopts a development impact fee ordinance shall provide for refunds in accordance with the following provisions:

   (1) Upon the request of an owner of property on which a development impact fee has been paid, a municipality or county shall refund the development impact fee if capacity is available and service is denied or if the municipality or county, after collecting the fee when service is not available, has failed to encumber the development impact fee or commence construction within six years after the date that the fee was collected. In determining whether development impact fees have been encumbered, development impact fees shall be considered encumbered on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis;

   (2) When the right to a refund exists due to a failure to encumber development impact fees, the municipality or county shall provide written notice of entitlement to a refund to the feepayor who paid the development impact fee at the address shown on the application for development approval or to a successor in interest who has given notice to the municipality or county of a transfer or assignment of the right or entitlement to a refund and who has provided a mailing address. Such notice shall also be published within 30 days after the expiration of the six-year period after the date that the development impact fees were collected and shall contain the heading "Notice of Entitlement to Development Impact Fee Refund";

   (3) An application for a refund shall be made within one year of the time such refund becomes payable under paragraph (1) or (2) of this Code section or within one year of publication of the notice of entitlement to a refund under this Code section, whichever is later;

   (4) A refund shall include a refund of a pro rata share of interest actually earned on the unused or excess development impact fee collected;

   (5) All refunds shall be made to the feepayor within 60 days after it is determined by a municipality or county that a sufficient proof of claim for a refund has been made; and

   (6) The feepayor shall have standing to sue for a refund under the provisions of this chapter if there has been a timely application for a refund and the refund has been denied or has not been made within one year of submission of the application for refund to the collecting municipality or county.

Code 1981, § 36-71-9, enacted by Ga. L. 1990, p. 692, § 1.